From America’s Coco Gauff’s title defence to Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of tennis immortality, this US Open hints at a lot of interesting things that could happen in the future.
But once the seeds were announced on Thursday, plenty of storylines unfolded long before the men’s and women’s finals.
Top seeds Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, all of whom escaped suspension after testing positive for drugs, are in the top half of the men’s draw, while second seed Djokovic is bottom of the list with an eye on a rematch against American Ben Shelton in the fourth round.
During a U.S. Open practice session on Aug. 22, 2024. Larry Marano
In the men’s singles, all eyes will be on Djokovic to see if he can win a record 25th Grand Slam title, while in the women’s singles, all eyes will be on the top three seeds, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Gauff, as well as two-time champion Naomi Osaka, who is returning to Flushing after last year’s maternity leave.
Her match against former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is the highlight of the first round.
“She has the talent. It’s just a matter of what mindset she has, how seriously she takes it, how much she enjoys competing. That’s the key. She’s good at the game, but she’s got to find it to win another major,” John McEnroe, ESPN’s U.S. Open broadcaster, said of Osaka.
“She’s going through some questionable times,” added fellow celebrity-turned-broadcaster Chris Evert. “It’s the U.S. Open, so let’s see if she can work that magic. She’s won this title a few times, so let’s see if she can work that magic. I think her story, her journey, remains to be seen. I know she has the game, but the game alone is not enough. She needs confidence and focus. Let’s see.”
2024. Larry Marano
Gauff defeated Sabalenka here last year to become the youngest American woman to win in Flushing since Serena Williams in 1999.
The two could meet again in the semi-finals if the British Open is decided in the semi-finals, but Gauff has had an up-and-down season, which included breaking down in tears at Wimbledon and yelling at her coach Brad Gilbert.
“As for the tears… you can’t consciously know the anticipation that creeps into the cells of your body,” Evert said. “From Day One, everyone was thinking about Coco: ‘She’s the next Serena Williams. She’s going to be the next dominant player.’ That stays with you for a long time.”
“I think she has to start coming up with her own game plan. I think she has to start trusting her instincts during the game, instead of always relying on patterns or what coaches or people tell her to do. I think she’s at an age now where she has to play a little more on feel and instinct and trust herself a little more.”
Swiatek is ranked number one in the world but has lost before the quarterfinals in four of the last five majors, excluding the French Open.
She could face No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, with the American still in the hunt for her first career Grand Slam semifinal.
In the men’s competition, Sinner is likely to face an American in three of his first four matches and could face Alcaraz, who is on a rare losing streak, in the semifinals.
But Djokovic, the defending champion, is aiming to overtake Margaret Court’s career Grand Slam record.
A rematch with Shelton in the fourth round is possible, but the hard-serving Floridian must beat Dominic Thiem, who retired in the first round, and then face fellow American Francis Tiafoe in the third round.
Shelton beat Tiafoe in the quarterfinals last year but lost in the semifinals to Djokovic, who imitated Tiafoe’s “hang up the phone” routine.
Tommy Paul of the United States will face Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.
Tunisia’s Ons Jaber withdrew on Thursday.
